STPDN expels three in wake of student's violent death

STPDN expels three in wake of student's violent death

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
Bandung/Jakarta

The Public Administration Institute (STPDN) in Sumedang, West
Java, expelled three students on Friday for their alleged key
roles in the killing of a fellow student, while his parents vowed
to sue the school.

The three students, all in their 3rd year -- Yayan Sofyan,
Dadang Hadi Surya and Hendi Setiadi -- were accused of being
responsible for the death of Wahyu Hidayat on Tuesday night.

The dismissals were announced by STPDN director Soetrisno to
more than 2,000 students as well as officials from the Ministry
of Home Affairs, which runs the institute.

Security was tight during the announcement. Journalists were
prevented by other students from covering the event.

Ivansyah Dunda, a photographer for Tempo magazine, and a Trans
TV reporter Wawan Kurniawan were attacked by students as they
tried to make their way into the venue.

The three students in question were also dismissed from their
jobs as civil servants and required to return their monthly
salaries of Rp 580,000 (US$69) received since August 2001.

On top of that, they must each repay Rp 4.8 million in
education allowance paid by the state.

All STPDN students serve as civil servants who are paid Rp
580,000 each per month. They work at government offices across
the country after finishing their studies.

The institute also imposed disciplinary sanctions on 23 other
students allegedly involved in the deadly initiation ritual which
included physical torture. Thirteen of them were downgraded to
lower semesters and the integrity records of the remaining 10
were lowered.

All 26 students were also named as suspects in the hazing
incident by the Sumedang police, who are currently holding them
in detention for further investigation.

The police said they would exhume Wahyu's body on Saturday for
a thorough autopsy.

Also, the STPDN was now questioning 24 other students for
their possible involvement in the case.

Separately, Wahyu's father Syarif Hidayatullah said on Friday
that his family could not accept the death of their son and would
file a lawsuit against the STPDN for its failure to protect him.

Syarif, from Sentul village, Bogor, West Java, said doctors,
who treated Wahyu, and STPDN administrators refused to disclose
the exact cause of death.

He said he received Rp 5 million from the institute and Rp 4
million from an official claiming to represent West Java Governor
Danny Setiawan, when Wahyu's body arrived home on Wednesday. The
governor also has close to STPDN as he is graduate.

"The governor's staffers told me that for STPDN's 'good name',
it would be better for us to remain quiet. But my son's senseless
death cannot be compensated by their filthy money. I will
continue to seek justice for my son," Syarif said through his
tears.

Wahyu, 20, died after apparently being beaten by older
students at the institute, which has a reputation for imposing
military-style discipline on its students.

Sumedang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Yoyok Subagyo said on
Thursday that the preliminary investigation confirmed that the
victim had died from injuries suffered during the bullying
tactics.

An STPDN student, who requested anonymity, said senior
students had decided to teach Wahyu a "lesson" as they considered
him disloyal for not showing up at patriotic functions.

The victim was subjected to bullying and beating for three
hours in an open area east of the institute's sports hall
starting at 11 p.m. on Tuesday night, the unnamed student said.

Another student said Wahyu was being "punished" by the older
students for failing to attend an annual meeting with the West
Java governor two weeks ago.

The meeting was deemed important by the older STPDN students,
who usually use the forum to ask for "pocket money" from the
governor on top of the Rp 5 million (US$595) allowance allocated
by the West Java provincial budget for each of the students from
the province.

However in Jakarta, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno
claimed Wahyu was beaten to death because he failed show
patriotism when he missed a flag-hoisting ceremony to observe the
Aug. 17 Independence Day.

"The seniors, also from West Java, were angry because of his
action and decided to take such a disciplinary measure against
him," Hari asserted.

The home minister did, however, call for a thorough
investigation into general student brutality.